PRO14 Preview: Saturday
There are four matches scheduled for the opening round on Saturday with champions Scarlets' clash with the Southern Kings the pick of the fixtures.
Scarlets v Kings
Scottish international John Barclay picks up the captain's armband for Scarlets' PRO14 season opener.
Barclay's last outing as the side's captain saw him lift the PRO12 trophy in Dublin back in May and he will be keen to get the new season off to a positive start against the South African newcomers.
Scarlets and Welsh rugby supporters alike will be excited by the prospect of seeing Leigh Halfpenny make his debut at Parc y Scarlets and playing his rugby back in Wales.
He's joined in the back three by Johnny McNicholl and last season's PRO12 top try scorer Steff Evans.
The pack is led by an all-international front row in Rob Evans, Ryan Elias and Samson Lee. International lock Jake Ball is joined in the second row by Tadhg Beirne whilst Aaron Shingler and James Davies join Barclay in the back row.
Looking ahead to the opening round of the exciting new-look championship Scarlets boss Wayne Pivac said: "It's an exciting time. A new team and a new culture coming into our back yard is very exciting for everyone.
"We don't know a lot about them but it just means we focus on our performance and I think at this time of the year most teams are doing that anyway.
"There have been quite a few changes from the side that played in Super Rugby but we've watched some of their matches and we've been quite impressed with how they play, they play an attractive style of rugby that will suit this competition.”
Meanwhile, Southern Kings head coach Deon Davids named a strong side for this historical match.
Davids will field an experienced team which includes players who have plied their trade in the PRO14 previously as well as the Super Rugby competition. The side will be led by hooker Michael Willemse.
Willemse is joined in the front row by experienced props Schalk Ferreira and former Glasgow Warriors player Rossouw de Klerk while Dries van Schalkwyk and Jurie van Vuuren are the second row combination.
Andisa Ntsila, who was one of the Kings' stars during the recent Super Rugby campaign, starts at number eight while newbies Victor Sekekete and Khaya Majola are the two flankers.
In the back-line, former Stormers representative Kurt Coleman starts at fly-half while Rudi van Rooyen will wear the number nine jersey. Berton Klaasen and Luzuko Vulindlu are the two centres with Masixole Banda (full-back) and wingers Yaw Penxe and Sibusiso Sithole forming the back three combination.
"We have some exciting players in the backline and we also have some talent in the forwards. I would like to see a good balance between the backs and forwards,” said Davids.
"I will encourage the guys to play the way we are used to playing – that is playing towards where our pace is, making good decisions and recognising and using areas of space.
"We also need to be wary of the fact that games are not only won with ball in hand, our biggest challenge will be our work rate, intensity and physicality without the ball. That will be a big ask for us.”
The Southern Kings are wary of the tough task of facing the defending champions in their first Guinness PRO14 outing, and have braced themselves for a full 80-minute battle against the Welsh club.
"We had to have a look at them – they are the champion side. They have strength all over in their team and are a team that likes to play with ball in hand. They are quite dangerous if you concede turnovers against them, and they have quite a good set piece. It will be an 80-minute battle,” said the head coach.
"We are in this now, and we are excited to go and see where we are, and what still needs to be done. We are going into this game confident in our abilities. We will see this as a good learning exercise and a good base of where we can start and continue our campaign going forward.
"It would be stupid to underestimate a team that remains the reigning champions of the competition.
"We need to be spot on, we need to be focused and we need to be switched on. We need to be ready to face whatever comes our way.
"We need not be afraid to impose ourselves in terms of what we need to do. We will focus on playing the way that we want to play and trying to be clever in terms of our approach.”
The teams:
Scarlets: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Johnny McNicholl, 13 Hadleigh Parkes, 12 Scott Williams, 11 Steff Evans, 10 Rhys Patchell, 9 Gareth Davies, 8 John Barclay (c), 7 James Davies, 6 Aaron Shingler, 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 Jake Ball, 3 Samson Lee, 2 Ryan Elias, 1 Rob Evans
Replacements: 16 Emyr Phillips, 17 Dylan Evans, 18 Werner Kruger, 19 David Bulbring, 20 Will Boyde, 21 Jonathan Evans, 22 Rhys Jones, 23 Paul Asquith
Southern Kings: 15 Masixole Banda, 14 Yaw Penxe, 13 Berton Klaasen, 12 Luzuko Vulindlu, 11 Sibusiso Sithole, 10 Kurt Coleman, 9 Rudi van Rooyen, 8 Andisa Ntsila, 7 Victor Sekekete, 6 Khaya Majola, 5 Dries van Schalkwyk, 4 Jurie van Vuuren, 3 Rossouw de Klerk, 2 Michael Willemse (c), 1 Schalk Ferreira
Replacements: 16 Stephan Coetzee, 17 Luvuyo Pupuma, 18 Entienne Swanepoel, 19 Bobby de Wee, 20 Siyabulela Mdaka, 21 Godlen Masimla, 22 Ntabeni Dukisa, 23 Jacques Nel
Date: Saturday, September 2
Venue: Parc y Scarlets
Kick-off: 17:30 local (16:30 GMT)
Referee: Frank Murphy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Seán Gallagher (Ireland), Wayne Davies (Wales)
TMO: Olly Hodges (Ireland)
Ospreys v Zebre
Ospreys head coach Steve Tandy has named a strong starting XV to play Zebre at Liberty Stadium.
In the forwards, veteran front-row Paul James makes his 223rd Ospreys appearance, equaling Duncan Jones at the top of the appearance list for the Welsh region.
James is joined in the front row by fellow prop Ma'afu Fia and Sam Parry who lines up at hooker. Rory Thornton and Bradley Davies start in the second row while in the back row Dan Baker packs down at number eight with Justin Tipuric and Olly Cracknell on the flanks.
In the back-line, Cory Allen makes his competitive Ospreys debut at inside centre and he is joined in midfield by Ben John. Tom Habberfield captains the side from scrum-half and James Hook starts at fly-half.
Dan Evans is the starting full-back and he is joined in the back three by wingers Keelan Giles and Jeff Hassler. Reuben Morgan-Williams will make his senior Ospreys debut if he comes off the bench.
"It's great to be back into PRO14 action again, there's definitely a buzz around the environment and everyone is excited about the weekend," said Tandy.
"Kicking off at the Liberty on a Saturday afternoon is great for us. When you look at what is a pretty testing schedule in the first six rounds, it's crucial we get off to a positive start and being at home with our supporters behind us is important.
"With pre-season out of the way, we've had plenty to work on over recent weeks and the line-up is starting to have a more familiar look to it with players starting to come back in and more due to return over the next few weeks.
"The new conference system with the introduction of the South African teams has certainly created interest and given the championship a sense of freshness.
"It's a competition which grows in stature year on year and I think that'll be the case this year. We achieved a play-off spot last season off the back of an excellent first two-thirds of the year.
"The challenge now has to be to build on that, make sure we carry form throughout the season and look for continued improvement and growth, ensuring we are where want to be at the tail end, involved in big play-off fixtures.”
Meanwhile, Zebre will be playing their opening fixture in Wales for the third consecutive season. This match presents a fresh challenge for Zebre's new coaching staff led by the Irishman Michael Bradley.
In the back-line, full-back Matteo Minozzi lines up in an exciting back three alongside Giulio Bisegni and Gabriele Di Giulio while captain Tommaso Castello and Mattia Bellini start in midfield.
Carlo Canna will wear the number 10 jersey with Marcello Violi lining up at scrum-half. Up front, Giovanni Licata (number eight) and flankers Renato Giammarioli and Derick Minnie start in the back row with George Biagi and David Sisi the starting locks.
Oliviero Fabiani starts at hooker and will pack down alongside props Dario Chistolini and Andrea Lovotti.
The teams:
Ospreys: 15 Dan Evans, 14 Keelan Giles, 13 Ben John, 12 Cory Allen, 11 Jeff Hassler, 10 James Hook, 9 Tom Habberfield (c), 8 Dan Baker, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Olly Cracknell, 5 Rory Thornton, 4 Bradley Davies, 3 Ma'afu Fia, 2 Sam Parry, 1 Paul James
Replacements: 16 Scott Otten, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Rhodri Jones, 19 Lloyd Ashley, 20 James King, 21 Reuben Morgan-Williams, 22 Sam Davies, 23 Kieron Fonotia
Zebre: 15 Matteo Minozzi, 14 Giulio Bisegni, 13 Mattia Bellini, 12 Tommaso Castello (c), 11 Gabriele Di Giulio, 10 Carlo Canna, 9 Marcello Violi, 8 Giovanni Licata, 7 Renato Giammarioli, 6 Derick Minnie, 5 George Biagi, 4 David Sisi, 3 Dario Chistolini, 2 Oliviero Fabiani, 1 Andrea Lovotti
Replacements: 16 Tommaso D'Apice, 17 Andrea De Marchi, 18 Roberto Tenga, 19 Leonard Krumov, 20 Jacopo Sarto, 21 Guglielmo Palazzani, 22 Tommaso Boni, 23 Ciaran Gaffney
Date: Saturday, September 2
Venue: Liberty Stadium, Swansea
Kick-off: 14:30 local (13:30 GMT)
Referee: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Stuart Berry (South Africa), Robert Price (Wales)
Dragons v Leinster
Wales international Gavin Henson will make his first Dragons appearance in this encounter.
Fellow summer signing Zane Kirchner will also make his competitive debut for the Dragons having played in the pre-season friendlies.
Saturday's match will mark the beginning of a new era for the Dragons as they make their mark at Rodney Parade on a new pitch, underneath a new head coach in former Grenoble boss Bernard Jackman.
Former Leinster player Zane Kirchner will start at full-back and is joined in the back three by the talented Ashton Hewitt and Welsh international Hallam Amos.
The centre partnership sees youngsters Tyler Morgan and Jack Dixon given the nod whilst experienced fly-half Henson makes his first appearance in front of a home crowd – he is joined in the halfbacks by Charlie Davies.
The front row sees Brok Harris and Leon Brown pack down next to hooker Elliot Dee, whilst the second row sees the newly named captain Cory Hill return alongside fellow lock Matthew Screech.
Flankers James Thomas and Wales Sevens star James Benjamin are named in the back row alongside number eight Harrison Keddie.
Debutants Max Williams and Jared Rosser are named on bench alongside Rhys Buckley, Luke Garrett, Lloyd Fairbrother, Rynard Landman, Tavis Knoyle and Angus O'Brien.
Meanwhile, Leinster head coach Leo Cullen has used the opportunity to present a debut to two players at different ends of the age and experience spectrum.
33-year-old Australian international Scott Fardy will start in the second row for his debut while 20 year old former St Andrew's student Jordan Larmour makes his debut on the left wing.
There is also the potential for a third Leinster debut in the form of lock James Ryan who is named amongst the replacements. Ryan made his senior Ireland debut on the recent summer tour to USA and Japan.
In other team news, full-back Rob Kearney makes his competitive return and plays for Leinster for the first time in nearly eight months with his last competitive outing in blue coming in January against Castres in the Champions Cup.
Adam Byrne, who scored ten tries in all competitions last season, starts on the right wing with Larmour on the left.
Isa Nacewa will captain the side from the centre with newly capped Irish international Rory O'Loughlin beside him in the number 13 jersey.
Jamison Gibson-Park and Ross Byrne pick up where they left off in Donnybrook last week at nine and ten.
In the pack, veteran front-row Cian Healy makes his first appearance of the season having not featured in any of the pre-season matches. Beside him Seán Cronin is back at hooker after hamstring and neck injuries hampered the second half of last season with Michael Bent completing the front row at tighthead prop.
Devin Toner makes his 199th appearance for Leinster in the second row. The Meath man is joined by the 39 times capped Australian Scott Fardy.
Dan Leavy starts at blindside flanker with Josh van der Flier selected on the openside. Finally, Max Deegan completes the pack and lines out in the number eight jersey for his first senior start for Leinster on the occasion of his fourth cap.
The teams:
Dragons: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Ashton Hewitt, 13 Tyler Morgan, 12 Jack Dixon, 11 Hallam Amos, 10 Gavin Henson, 9 Charlie Davies, 8 Harri Keddie, 7 James Benjamin, 6 James Thomas, 5 Cory Hill (c), 4 Matthew Screech, 3 Leon Brown, 2 Elliot Dee, 1 Brok Harris
Replacements: 16 Rhys Buckley, 17 Luke Garrett, 18 Lloyd Fairbrother, 19 Rynard Landman, 20 Max Williams, 21 Tavis Knoyle, 22 Angus O'Brien, 23 Jared Rosser
Leinster: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Adam Byrne, 13 Rory O'Loughlin, 12 Isa Nacewa (c), 11 Jordan Larmour, 10 Ross Byrne, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Max Deegan, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Dan Leavy, 5 Scott Fardy, 4 Devin Toner, 3 Michael Bent, 2 Seán Cronin, 1 Cian Healy
Replacements: 16 James Tracy, 17 Ed Byrne, 18 Andrew Porter, 19 James Ryan, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Nick McCarthy, 22 Cathal Marsh, 23 Barry Daly
Date: Saturday, September 2
Venue: Rodney Parade
Kick-off: 15:15 local (14:15 GMT)
Referee: Mike Adamson (Scotland)
Assistant referees: Lloyd Linton (Scotland), Stuart Kibble (Wales)
TMO: Neil Paterson (Scotland)
Connacht v Glasgow Warriors
New signing Jarrad Butler is set to make his competitive debut for Connacht on Saturday in Connacht head coach Kieran Keane's first competitive game in charge.
Bundee Aki also returns to the side in a midfield partnership with Eoin Griffin as Connacht aim to get off to a winning start under Keane.
The team is further strengthened by the inclusion of four Irish internationals, as Denis Buckley, Finlay Bealham and Ultan Dillane start in the front five. Meanwhile, Kieran Marmion starts at scrum-half where he renews his halfback pairing with Jack Carty.
John Muldoon captains the side at number eight in his 15th season with his native province. Eoghan Masterson joins him in the back row for the Championship opener along with debutant Butler.
Speaking to reporters ahead of his first competitive game in the Sportsground, where he faces his former Chiefs colleague Dave Rennie, Keane said: "It's ironic that we face Dave's Glasgow side in my first game in charge.
"They will be playing an open expansive style of rugby as will we. There was an incredible atmosphere for our pre-season game at home to Bristol last week, I'm sure the guys will get a massive reception when they take to the field again on Saturday evening."
Meanwhile, Alex Dunbar will reach 100 appearances for Glasgow Warriors in this fixture.
The 27-year old, who signed a two-year contract extension with the club last season, starts at outside centre as new Glasgow boss Dave Rennie names his first competitive Warriors squad.
Dunbar has scored 12 tries in his eight years with Glasgow and will be joined by Sam Johnson in the middle of the park at the Sportsground.
Ruaridh Jackson begins his second stint at the Warriors in the number 15 jersey, adding to his 113 Glasgow appearances following three years playing in England.
On the wing, Lelia Masaga will make his competitive debut, the former All Black having impressed against the Dragons in pre-season while Lee Jones completes the back three.
George Turner is another player representing the club for the first time, packing down with Jamie Bhatti and Zander Fagerson either side of him.
Tim Swinson combines with Scott Cummings in the second-row, scrumming down in front of Matt Smith, Adam Ashe and newly appointed club captain Ryan Wilson.
Oli Kebble and Adam Hastings will be both looking to make their debuts off the bench and Scottish Rugby Academy players Adam Nicol and Matt Fagerson are also named amongst the replacements.
Glasgow Warriors assistant coach, Jonathan Humphreys, said: “There are different people at Glasgow, there are different coaches at Connacht and with pre-season games you can’t really tell how they’re going to go.
“Ruaridh (Jackson) played really well against the Dragons. We were all really impressed with him. It’s great to have him back – he’s played over 100 times for the club and it’s as if he’s never been away.
“Reaching 100 caps will mean a lot to Alex Dunbar, he says it’s been a long time coming! It’s a special group, those 100 cap guys, so it’ll be a proud moment for him tomorrow night.”
The teams:
Connacht: 15 Darragh Leader, 14 Cian Kelleher, 13 Eoin Griffin, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Matt Healy, 10 Jack Carty, 9 Kieran Marmion, 8 John Muldoon, 7 Jarrad Butler, 6 Eoghan Masterson, 5 James Cannon, 4 Ultan Dillane, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Tom McCartney, 1 Denis Buckley
Replacements: 16 Shane Delahunt, 17 Peter McCabe, 18 Conor Carey, 19 Sean O'Brien, 20 Eoin McKeon, 21 Conor McKeon, 22 Craig Ronaldson, 23 Tom Farrell
Glasgow Warriors: 15 Ruaridh Jackson, 14 Lelia Masaga, 13 Alex Dunbar, 12 Sam Johnson, 11 Lee Jones, 10 Peter Horne, 9 Ali Price, 8 Adam Ashe, 7 Matt Smith, 6 Ryan Wilson (c), 5 Scott Cummings, 4 Tim Swinson, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 George Turner, 1 Jamie Bhatti
Replacements: 16 James Malcolm, 17 Oli Kebble, 18 Adam Nicol, 19 Greg Peterson, 20 Matt Fagerson, 21 Henry Pyrgos, 22 Adam Hastings, 23 Leonardo Sarto
Date: Saturday, September 2
Venue: The Sportsground:
Kick-off: 19:35 local (18:35 GMT)
Referee: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
Assistant referees: Dan Jones (Wales), Stuart Gaffikin (Ireland)
TMO: Peter Fitzgibbon (Ireland)